ATX Home Reveal Pt. 1: Our Minimal, High-Vibe Living Room & Workspace
Our space is finally ready!!! We decided to roll it out in parts, because I have so much to say, and this post would be forever long if we didn't break it up. So, today we're showing you our living room and workspace. As most of you know, we recently moved from our tiny studio in NYC to a spacious one bedroom in Austin, TX (see moving vlog here). Although we upgraded to a larger space, we purged even more 'things' prior to moving. We now own less than we ever have and let me tell you... it feels amazing.
Simplify. Reduce. Declutter.
We're very careful about what items we allow into our space, and we're consistently decluttering, purging, and reorganizing. This ongoing practice of simplifying my life has been one of the best acts of self-love for me personally. I spend less on frivolous, one-off things, and I have more money to spend on travel, experiences, high-quality foods, and more money to SAVE and invest in my future. There is more to be said here, so stay tuned on this topic for a future post.
Related: 8 Ways I'm Slowly Becoming a Minimalist & How a Minimalist Keeps Memories Without the Clutter
Designing our apartment
Alright now, here's the thing... I'm awesome with dreaming up a space and envisioning what I want, but I'm terrible at pulling it all together. So, the real MVP is my digital interior designer Erika Dale from Decorist who we partnered with to design our space.
For those of you who don't know, Decorist is an online interior design service that matches you with a designer to pull your room together within your style and budget. We were really lucky to get Erika, because she truly understood our vision and was just so much fun to work with. We already called dibs on Erika to design our next home, because spoiler alert: Andrew and I are saving up to buy a house!
*Om & The City readers get 30% off a Decorist room makeover with the code: 'JULES30'. You can also request a designer, so I highly recommend Erika Dale!
The Living Room
We wanted to create a living room that was bohemian, cozy, and inviting. We looove having friends over and hosting game nights, so we kept it clean, minimal, and open, but played around with fun textures to give it personality.
Here's a side-by-side with Erika's original rendering of the space (left) & how we executed it (right).
BEFORE
AFTER
It's pretty on point. We did end up falling in love with a different coffee table after all was said and done. I like that it is clear glass mixed with the wood texture to keep the space open. Our throw pillows & blanket were gifted by Urban Outfitters (sadly, most of our pillows are sold out!).
Our rug is 8x10 and is made from recycled plastic bottles. It's not only beautiful but also practical, sustainable, and easy to clean.
Our earthy gallery wall was generously gifted by Minted. All of the artists are talented females you should definitely check out. A lot of you asked specifics on dimensions, so it's all listed & linked below:
"Painted Canyon 1" by Kamala Nahas - Living Room (30" x 40", Desert Blush, white wood frame)
"Cactus Coins" by Baumbirdy - Living Room (18" x 24", white wood frame)
"Desert Romance #2" by Shannon Howard - Living Room (24" x 18", white wood frame)
"On My Way" by Cass Loh - Living Room (11" x 14", black, white wood frame)
Now, onto the other side of the living room. I don't typically care about TVs, gadgets, or electronics, but I'm in love with our Samsung Frame TV. Our friends Tia and Jon have this TV, and we were instantly sold, because it looks like art! I love how unobtrusive and flat it is. You can set any picture/artwork as the background, We like to sneakily upload photos of our friends and put it on the TV when they come over. It's fun to see their reaction when they realize it's a photo of them!
BEFORE
AFTER
You can find links to all of our living room products below! I did not link our media console below, because it came with a silver crocodile panels (hahaha) which we painted white. So, if you like silver crocodile or you don't mind a little paint job, then check it out here.
The Home Office
Since I work from home, a comfortable workspace is super important to me. I think we nailed it, because I feel uber productive, creative, and happy in my little home office! We're still growing our plant collection, and I'd love to work in some macrame like Erika's original rendering below. But, for now, we're happy with it and want to space out our purchases.
We opted to get a monitor, because it's easier for editing and it keeps my head up/helps my posture when working long hours. No need to shell out over a grand for a fancy Mac monitor... we love our 27" HP Pavillion Monitor for $199. Just plug it into your laptop and you're good to go. Side note: I'm looking into purchasing blue light blocking glasses to protect my eyes from too much screen time. Thanks for the inspiration, Carly & Austin (@frolicandflow)!
BEFORE
AFTER
I love our bookcase courtesy of Urban Outfitters - it helps to separate my workspace from the living room, and it really livens up the space! I love the look of my desk, but I will say, it's not super comfortable. There is a wooden piece that sticks out underneath, so it makes it hard to cross your legs. If you're petite like me, it's not a big deal, but Andrew finds it annoying. My chair, however, is super cute and comfy for the price!
Links to our home office products below!
Next up: Our Mindful & Modern Bedroom Oasis! We're also currently working on filming a home tour, so you can see how everything is laid out. Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel to catch that!
And many thanks to...
Decorist, Urban Outfitters, and Minted for gifting your products/services to make our dream space a reality! Don't forget you get 30% off of a Decorist room makeover with 'JULES30'.
The talented Hannah Haston (@hanhaston) for photographing my home reveal. She's amazing and based in Austin, so check her out!
